Chapter 167 Willow's Report

Chapter 167 Willow's Report

Cars pulled up one after another outside the Red Apple Orphanage, and soon the place was surrounded.

Alison was surprised and confused. Why were so many people here?

Chloe stamped her foot. "How can you handle this alone? Stop trying to be a hero. I'm not a coward!"

Alison was quite surprised. Chloe was actually this loyal. She seemed to have misunderstood Chloe before.

Chloe saw the cameras gathering outside the iron gate and felt nervous, but thinking of Oliver, she felt she couldn't back down.

She might not be much help staying by Alison's side, but if she backed down, she would definitely offend Oliver!

Chloe took a deep breath and followed Alison toward the entrance.

Mindy and the others exchanged glances, hesitated, then followed along.

"She's here, she's here! Alison's coming out!" The reporters excitedly pointed their cameras at Alison.

Just then, the door of a luxury car slowly opened, and an old man wearing a gray suit with a gold badge on his chest stepped out. Seeing the crowd of reporters, he showed a displeased expression.

"It's William, the vice president of the Children's Charity Committee!" The reporters turned their cameras toward William.

Alison recognized William. He had been a special guest at both the recent charity gala and the signing ceremony. The Children's Charity Committee was an official organization, and William held a high position.

To get William to show up, whoever reported her must have paid a high price.

Alison smiled slightly. The more they paid, the more painful their loss would be.

There were about a dozen media outlets present, but over fifty cars. Some people got out one after another, while others stayed in their cars to watch the show.

The reporters identified them one by one.

"That's the eldest son of the Morgan family! Why would he be here?"

"Amelia, the third daughter of Radiant Hues Beauty Group, is here too! I remember she used to pursue Mr. West."

"Isn't that Paul and his wife? He just defeated Dylan and took control of the family. He's at the peak of his power right now. Such a busy person actually came to watch this drama?"

Alison found these reporters quite entertaining, like announcers on stage, calling out the names of all these bored rich men and women.

She crossed her arms, looking relaxed and amused.

Chloe beside her was so nervous her palms were sweating. Although she had attended a few parties with Dorian, this was her first time experiencing a scene like this!

Mindy and the others were even worse, shrinking behind Alison.

William gripped his cane and tapped it hard on the ground, angrily asking the subordinate official who got out from the other side of the car, "What's going on with all these people?"

The subordinate official Lucas shook his head frantically. "I don't know either!"

He looked at Willow in the car next to them. "Willow, did you invite the reporters?"

Willow was also shocked by the scene before her.

She had indeed contacted two reporters, but how did so many people show up?

Before she could think it through, Lucas urged her to get out of the car.

Willow would rather hide in the car, but as the one who made the report, she had to step forward.

Her appearance made the reporters even more excited.

"It's actually Willow!"

"She was engaged to Oliver back then—it was a grand affair. Later she married the elderly Grant and kept a low profile all these years. Is she going to be high-profile again?"

"I heard she also had an affair with Grant's son, but she still likes Oliver the most."

"Keep your voice down. Alison has an unusual relationship with Oliver. Be careful she hears you."

Alison was somewhat speechless.

These people were talking so loudly, they clearly weren't afraid of her hearing them!

Just then, a silver car drove up from the distance, its dazzling appearance like a star.

Alison suddenly felt a bit nervous.

"He's here! Mr. West is here too!"

"This is the drama of the year!"

"What kind of event brought them all together? Oliver isn't someone to mess with. Today's news probably won't even air. What a shame!"

William wasn't from this city. He knew Oliver's position but wasn't clear about his private affairs. He asked in surprise, "Why are you here too?"

"I came for Alison," Oliver answered.

He strode toward Alison with firm steps, his gaze not wavering even slightly.

The reporters excitedly pressed their shutters, flashlights forming a sea of light.

Alison watched him walk toward her step by step, her heartbeat getting faster and faster.

Oliver walked to her side. He didn't say anything, just stood with her in a protective stance.

Willow's eyes turned red with jealousy.

This kind of devotion, this grand attention—it should all belong to her!

Seeing everyone's attention drawn to Oliver and Alison, as if they were today's main characters, Willow unwillingly reminded Lucas, "Don't forget why we came! Oliver rushed here probably to cover for Alison!"

Lucas snapped back to attention and asked Willow suspiciously, "Are you sure what you reported is true? William hates child abuse the most. If you made this up, don't drag me down with you!"

Willow answered through gritted teeth, "It's true!"

William glanced at them and walked toward Alison and Oliver. "Alison, why are you here? What's your relationship with this orphanage?"

"I'm an orphan. I grew up here," Alison said. "The orphanage is holding a party today. Why are you here?"

William was somewhat surprised. Alison was an orphan? This could be easily verified, so she couldn't be lying.

He turned to look at Willow. "Willow reported that you illegally detained the director of this orphanage and abused the children here. I came to investigate whether what she said is true."

Before Alison could speak, Willow jumped in. "It's true! I have evidence!"

She pulled out her phone. "A few days ago, Francesca asked me for help. She sent photos of injured children. I had someone check them—they're not fake images. They were taken the day she asked me for help, and the injuries in the photos were all recent!"

William had already seen those photos before coming. He asked Alison with a stern face, "Do you know where Francesca is?"

Chloe lowered her head to hide her shocked expression.

Francesca's phone was in Alison's hands. The distress message must have been sent by Alison!

Alison shook her head. "I don't know where Francesca is. She's been missing for many days."

She pointed at Chloe. "We're all orphans who grew up here. Chloe invited us back to visit, and we found that Francesca was gone and the temporary workers had left too. There was only a few thousand dollars in the safe. We've been taking care of the children in the orphanage together these past few days."

Chloe nodded silently, secretly glancing at Oliver, thinking admiringly, 'Alison is so bold, lying at a time like this and fooling Oliver along the way. Oliver is even more impressive—he knows Alison is lying but his expression doesn't change at all.'

William frowned. "You're saying Francesca is missing?"

Alison paused. "Possibly."

"That's not right!" Willow objected. "If Francesca is missing, why didn't you call the police? Francesca is locked up by you. She's in the orphanage!"